Bear Down Means More
(as published in the Arizona Daily Star on Jan. 18th, 2024)
We took a chance. We took a chance on a quarterback coach on his sixteenth coaching job before the age of 50, and that chance paid off. Coach Jedd Fisch stepped into a broken situation and built something undeniably special. But, he didn’t do so alone. Fisch surrounded himself with a solid group of coaches, and brought in some of the most talented and upstanding student athletes a program could ask for. More than that, he capitalized on Tucson’s loving community, the loyalty of proud Wildcat fans the nation-round, and he welcomed our players’ families into that close knit collective. He capitalized, then he left, and it hurts. But it doesn’t hurt because of who Jedd Fisch was, it hurts because of who we are.
Arizona is coming off a comeback season, an Alamo Bowl victory against a storied program, and now we get to watch our players’ names be announced in the upcoming NFL Draft. We have seen what Arizona football can become, and we are hungry for more.
For the players who will be entering the transfer portal. We thank you and your families for trusting Arizona. While Fisch’s departure will leave a bitter taste in your mouths, we hope you know your Wildcat Family will always cherish what you did for us.
For the players currently deciding whether to leave or stay … we know what you were promised, and we are here to help you see that promise through. We ask you to see all of the anger and frustration among our fans for what it is — passion. Fisch left you. He giddily signed his new deal in the home you helped him afford, in a home where he hosted you, and he Tweeted it out for everyone to see. He left you and the brothers you’ve been fighting in the trenches with for Washington with no more than a three-minute announcement. But Wildcat Nation is still here, Arizona fans never left. We heard every word Fisch preached about loyalty, family, and what we’re working for here in Tucson … and we believed it too. We believed it because of who we are, what our pride is built on, and two simple words “Bear Down.”
When John “Button” Salmon was on his deathbed, no one would have blamed him if he told Coach McKale “tell the team to … win this one for me.” But, hollow, selfish words never resonate through history, and the actions of those who look out for themselves are never etched into stone or forever on people’s hearts. John Salmon didn’t make the moment about himself. He put his team first when he told Coach to “tell the team to Bear Down.”
It’s that heart that will carry Arizona forward, because Bear Down means more. Yes, it means digging deep in practice, and winning every snap. But, it means more than that. Bear Down means taking pride in who you fight with, not advantage of where they can get you.
Arizona fans haven’t gone anywhere, our passion for each other and this university hasn’t gone anywhere. We were just starting to build something great here together, and we are committed to whoever wants to shoulder the work with us. While we are only just now getting to know Coach Brent Brennan personally, his reputation is one of upstanding integrity and perseverance. His track record proves just how deeply he cares about this game, and his players. A few years ago Coach Brennan Tweeted, “As my old boss Dick Tomey used to always say: ‘your actions should speak so loudly that I can’t hear what you say!’ It’s one of my favorites.”
It’s time for us to set aside cheap words, and let our actions speak for themselves. Bear Down means more … it’s time we show ‘em.
